How I Compare Theatre to Staging

Last weekend I was so fortunate to go to the theatre in Toronto.  It completely reinforced the analogy that I tell my clients daily of what ‘staging’ is all about. There is a huge difference between “Decorating” and “Staging”.  Let me explain…

As I was looking at the stage, I was completely aware of every prop that was being used. Every piece was carefully chosen since each piece had a purpose. There wasn’t anything extra.  I was also so impressed how they reinvented the same props with minor changes for a completely different look and function.  They proved that you don’t need many props to let the audience let their imagination fill in the blanks. The props were merely guides.

I take so much time selecting which  props I bring into a house when I’m staging it, since everything has to have a purpose to enhance a certain feature or I don’t bring it in.  It’s also working within a budget.  I pride myself on buying perfect accessories that can be reused over and over and can look completely different in each home depending on wall colour etc.

When staging a house we only want enough ‘props’ so buyers can visualize themselves living in the space. I bet if we were to ask all the audience members after the play to describe what they saw, there would be many difference answers.  That is perfect since everyone created what THEY wanted to see.  When a house is staged properly, buyers can visualize the house perfectly for themselves – not for the person currently living there.

I compare watching a movie to “decorating”. Every single space and detail are filled in, with no room left to the imagination of the viewers.  This is great when it’s your own home and your own ‘story’.  Staging allows room for buyers to create their own story with a bit of guidance.